Summer Is Slipping Away

In a "fruitless" (geddit?) attempt to preserve the Summer for a little longer, I have been making jam, chutneys, jellies and relishes like a mad thing. I am getting quite good at it, so it seems that my objective of giving pretty jars of home-made stuff for Christmas prezzies may possibly be achieved.

Who'd have thought that the most difficult thing I have had to make has been strawberry jam - everything else has been very straightforward.

Even the Banana and Pineapple jam is tasty, so is the Curried Banana Chutney, despite the strangeness and its ability to make you screw up your nose with its very name! Don't deny it, I saw you!

We have transferred the 13 remaining turkeys to the large enclosure, ready for the huge digger that is going to solve all our septic tank problems by digging a huge hole for the new "digester" tank on Monday. The only problem we have had, so far, is that one of the turkeys broke her wing in the move and is to be lunch tomorrow. I don't think I have ever been so sorry for anything, despite the fact that she did it herself against the side of the run. Daft bird!

The tiniest of the sheep has had fly-strike, where blow-fly larvae eat away at the flesh of sheep and, I'm told, rabbits with long fur. The adults lay their eggs in the wool and they hatch to a ready food supply. It is the most horrible thing imaginable. I won't publish a picture. Eugh! It must ITCH like crazy, poor little girl. But she has been treated, wormed and released back into the fold, so should improve by leaps and bounds.

We only have the five Welsummer babies and Silkie hen, Fluffy, left in the chicken department. The cockerell is poaching nicely as we speak and the other hens have gone to the great coop in the sky - we are getting new ones once the digging is over with. I was really sad about this, but the mite-treated polecats were delighted! It's an ill wind .......!

Mabel the Caravan, The Bloke and I went to The Oyster at Butley for a weekend with friends over the bank-holiday weekend and found it a delightful experience. The Bloke had a moment, but The Camel enjoyed a nice few days in the Suffolk countryside. He likes to come with us on caravanning trips and days out and is becoming quite well-travelled. Quiet, tho.

As you can see, the weather was most kind and we rushed home on the Monday so that we could go away again to North Walsham by ourselves. Camel was busy that week, so couldn't come, which was a shame because we were introduced to a beautiful lady camel, Camelia, who came home with us and is looking forward to meeting him.

Since returning from the break, we haven't stopped working! There was a fence to put up between where the pigs used to be and the rest of that half of the field, which took all day yesterday and burnt my shoulders in the sunshine and there is much stuff that The Bloke had to move out of the way for the Digger on Monday. He's had to mow the lawns twice, they were so long! Still the Dahlias are still blooming beautifully and we now have ornamental fruit on the Passion Flower plant.

We have had another freezer delivered today which we shall need when the Soay ewes go to slaughter soon. We will have the highest electricity bill on the planet with all five freezers going! Self-sufficiency, My Eye!

Our lovely Brother and Sister-in-Law are coming to visit for the weekend - unfortunately not bringing any of their gorgeous offspring - so The Bloke wants the Laminated Flooring Complete and Tidy Before They Arrive. No chance! NO chance at all!! They'll be lucky if I remember to make up the bed in their room! Can't wait to see them, tho', haven't seen them since Anne-Marie's Wedding!

Pip! Pip!